頭汗出 简体 头汗出

tóu hàn chū

Sweat on the head · tou han chu

Also rendered: Sweat on the head (This site) · Head sweating (Literal) · Sweat confined to the head (Clinical)

Reviewed · 2026-10-31

At a glance

Pinyin
tóu hàn chū
Simplified
头汗出
Literal
頭 tóu is the head; 汗 hàn is sweat, defined in the old dictionaries as the body's fluid; 出 chū is to come out. The phrase names sweat that appears on the head alone, and the chapters almost always add the qualifying line 劑頸而還 — it reaches the neck and turns back — so that the sign is not the sweat but its boundary.
Shuowen
**《說文》:「頭,首也。」「汗,身液也。」「出,進也。」** 劑頸而還,謂汗至頸而止,不上於身。**六至十篇八見**:第六篇一(行258)、第七篇三(行317、351、357)、第八篇四(行537、556、570)。**其義有三**:**濕熱鬱蒸**,但頭汗出而身無汗、小便不利、渴引水漿,身必發黄;**火劫**,兩陽相熏灼,但頭汗出、劑頸而還;**熱入血室**,下血讝語而但頭汗出。**與「自汗出」之别**:自汗周身,頭汗有界;有界者,邪鬱不能外越也。

In brief

Sweat confined to the head, stopping at the neck. The boundary is the point: where sweat runs over the whole body the exterior has opened, but where it reaches the neck and turns back, the yang qi is held and cannot get out, and the heat it carries has nowhere to go. The chapters use the sign three ways. With fever, no sweat on the body, scanty urine and great thirst, damp heat is steaming within and the body will turn yellow; with a history of fire treatment, the two yangs scorch each other and the fluids escape only upward; with blood below and raving in a woman, heat has entered the blood chamber. In each case the sweat is not the disease but the visible edge of an obstruction.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
火劫發黄 但頭汗出,劑頸而還
太陽中風以火劫汗,兩陽相熏灼,血氣流溢,身黄而但頭汗出、劑頸而還,熱鬱於上而不得外越
Taiyang wind-stroke treated by fire: the two yangs scorch each other, blood and qi overflow, the body yellows, and sweat appears on the head alone, reaching the neck and turning back — heat held above and unable to escape.
但頭汗出,劑頸而還,腹滿微喘,口乾咽爛,或不大便,久則讝語,甚者至噦,手足躁擾,捻衣摸牀,小便利者,其人可治。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
2
瘀熱在裏發黄 但頭汗出,身無汗,劑頸而還
發熱汗出本爲熱越,若身無汗而但頭汗出、小便不利、渴引水漿,則爲瘀熱在裏,身必發黄
Fever with sweat means the heat has gone out; but no sweat on the body, sweat on the head only, scanty urine and great thirst mean stagnant heat within, and the body will turn yellow.
但頭汗出,身無汗,劑頸而還,小便不利,渴引水漿者,此爲瘀熱在裏,身必發黄,茵蔯湯主之。 — 辨陽明病脉證并治第八
3
熱入血室 但頭汗出者
陽明下血而讝語、但頭汗出,是熱入血室;刺期門瀉實,濈然汗出則愈
Yang brightness with blood below, raving and sweat only on the head: heat has entered the blood chamber. Prick the period gate to drain the repletion; a steady sweat breaks and the patient recovers.
陽明病,下血讝語者,此爲熱入血室,但頭汗出者。 — 辨陽明病脉證并治第八

Occurrences in the classics

Passages where the term does real work, with the original, pinyin and English on the same line.

Display
3 passages
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六·辨太陽病脉證并治中第六 Read in context →
太陽病中風,以火刼發汗,邪風被火熱,血氣流溢,失其常度,兩陽相熏灼,其身發黄,陽盛則欲衄,陰虚則小便難,陰陽俱虚竭,身體則枯燥,但頭汗出,劑頸而還,腹滿微喘,口乾咽爛,或不大便,久則讝語,甚者至噦,手足躁擾,捻衣摸牀,小便利者,其人可治。 太阳病中风,以火劫发汗,邪风被火热,血气流溢,失其常度,两阳相熏灼,其身发黄,阳盛则欲衄,阴虚则小便难,阴阳俱虚竭,身体则枯燥,但头汗出,剂颈而还,腹满微喘,口干咽烂,或不大便,久则讝语,甚者至哕,手足躁扰,捻衣摸床,小便利者,其人可治。
tài yáng bìng zhòng fēng yǐ huǒ jié fā hàn xié fēng bèi huǒ rè xuè qì liú yì shī qí cháng dù liǎng yáng xiāng xūn zhuó qí shēn fā huáng yáng shèng zé yù nǜ yīn xū zé xiǎo biàn nán yīn yáng jù xū jié shēn tǐ zé kū zào dàn tóu hàn chū jì jǐng ér huán fù mǎn wēi chuǎn kǒu gān yān làn huò bù dà biàn jiǔ zé zhān yǔ shèn zhě zhì yuě shǒu zú zào rǎo niǎn yī mō chuáng xiǎo biàn lì zhě qí rén kě zhì
In taiyang wind-strike, when fire is used to force sweating, the pathogenic wind is driven by the fire heat; blood and qi overflow and lose their proper measure. The two yangs scorch each other, and the body turns yellow. If yang is exuberant there is a wish to bleed from the nose; if yin is empty, urination is difficult. When both yin and yang are exhausted, the body is dry and withered, and sweat appears only at the head, returning at the neck. There is abdominal fullness with slight panting, dry mouth and rotting throat, perhaps no bowel movement, and in time delirious speech; in severe cases retching, with restless limbs plucking at clothes and feeling the bed. If urination remains free, the patient may be saved.
火劫一誤,兩陽相熏灼,故但頭汗出而劑頸而還,熱無出路。
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七·辨太陽病脉證并治下第七 Read in context →
太陽病,脉浮而動數,浮則爲風,數則爲熱,動則爲痛,數則爲虚。頭痛發熱,微盗汗出,而反惡寒者,表未解也。醫反下之,動數變遲,膈内拒痛,胃中空虚,客氣動膈,短氣躁煩,心中懊憹,陽氣内陷,心下因鞕,則爲結胸,大陷胸湯主之。 太阳病,脉浮而动数,浮则为风,数则为热,动则为痛,数则为虚。头痛发热,微盗汗出,而反恶寒者,表未解也。医反下之,动数变迟,膈内拒痛,胃中空虚,客气动膈,短气躁烦,心中懊𢙐,阳气内陷,心下因硬,则为结胸,大陷胸汤主之。
tài yáng bìng mài fú ér dòng shuò fú zé wéi fēng shuò zé wéi rè dòng zé wéi tòng shuò zé wéi xū tóu tòng fā rè wēi dào hàn chū ér fǎn wù hán zhě biǎo wèi jiě yě yī fǎn xià zhī dòng shuò biàn chí gé nèi jù tòng wèi zhōng kōng xū kè qì dòng gé duǎn qì zào fán xīn zhōng ào náo yáng qì nèi xiàn xīn xià yīn yìng zé wéi jié xiōng dà xiàn xiōng tāng zhǔ zhī
In taiyang disease with a floating, stirring, rapid pulse: floating means wind, rapid means heat, stirring means pain, and rapid means deficiency. With headache, fever, slight night sweating, and yet aversion to cold, the exterior is not yet resolved. The physician wrongly purges; the stirring, rapid pulse turns slow; there is pain on pressure within the diaphragm, the stomach is empty, alien qi stirs the diaphragm, with shortness of breath, restlessness, and a stifled, troubled feeling in the chest; yang qi sinks inward and the epigastrium becomes hard, making chest binding. Major Chest-Binding Decoction governs it.
但頭汗出、餘無汗、小便不利,三語並見,發黄之勢已成。
辨陽明病脉證并治第八·辨陽明病脉證并治第八 Read in context →
陽明病,發熱汗出,此爲熱越,不能發黄也。但頭汗出,身無汗,劑頸而還,小便不利,渴引水漿者,此爲瘀熱在裏,身必發黄,茵蔯湯主之。 阳明病,发热汗出,此为热越,不能发黄也。但头汗出,身无汗,剂颈而还,小便不利,渴引水浆者,此为瘀热在里,身必发黄,茵𫈟汤主之。
yáng míng bìng fā rè hàn chū cǐ wéi rè yuè bù néng fā huáng yě dàn tóu hàn chū shēn wú hàn jì jǐng ér huán xiǎo biàn bù lì kě yǐn shuǐ jiāng zhě cǐ wéi yū rè zài lǐ shēn bì fā huáng yīn chén tāng zhǔ zhī
In yangming disease with fever and sweat, the heat is escaping and cannot make yellow. If sweat appears on the head alone, the body is dry, and it stops at the neck, with difficult urine and thirst drawing on water and broth, this is stagnant heat within; the body will surely turn yellow, and Yinchen Decoction governs it.
「熱越」與「瘀熱在裏」對舉:一汗出周身,一汗止於頸。

Compounds built on this term

頭汗出
tóu hàn chū
sweat on the head
辨陽明病脉證并治第八
劑頸而還
jì jǐng ér huán
reaching the neck and turning back
辨陽明病脉證并治第八
但頭汗出
dàn tóu hàn chū
sweat on the head only
辨陽明病脉證并治第八
熱越
rè yuè
heat escaping outward
辨陽明病脉證并治第八

How it has been translated

Every rendering below is a decision about which reader is being addressed. There is no neutral option.

This sitesweat on the headkeeps the plain description
Literalhead sweat emergesexact, but loses 劑頸而還
Clinicalsweat confined to the head and neckadds the boundary, which is the point

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-31

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